NEWS AND EVENTS

On this page you will find information about upcoming events, as well as some items from our monthly newsletter. Newsletters are available in our church office. We are making every effort not to pubish individual phone numbers or email addresses on the website. If you would like to receive our newsletter or if you have other questions, call the church office at 781-275-7951 or email us at fchurchb2@verizon.net.

Our joy in the Christmas season is reflected in the holiday decorations in our church. Poinsettias will not only brighten our sanctuary on Christmas Sunday and Christmas Eve, but will also spread the blessings of the season throughout our church family to those who cannot attend Christmas services.

Those wishing to purchase one or more poinsettias may do so by clipping this form and returning it to the church by December 10th with your check for $10.00 each, made out to First Church of Christ, with “Poinsettia” marked in the lower left corner.

Put name(s) of donor(s) on above line (e.g. John & Mary Smith, Mr. & Mrs. John Smith, the Smith Family) and list who it is in memory of.

Please indicate if you will leave the plant(s) to be distributed to a shut-in or if you will be taking it home. If you are taking it home, you may pick it up after the 9:00 p.m. Christmas Eve service.

November 19 Masons/1st Church Red Cross Blood Drive from 2:00—7:00 p.m.

Nov 22 Town Thanksgiving Service here

Nov 26 Thanksgiving

Nov 29 After service Advent workshop & lunch

Dec 2 Soul Sisters Yankee Swap

Dec 5 Babysitting Fundraiser

Dec 6 Family Christmas Party

Dec 6 Chamber Holiday Home Tour (we are one of the stops)

Dec 13 CMS Gifts

Dec 13 Post Fair Sale

Dec 13 Tour of Manse and Meeting House

Dec 16 Phone-a-Carol

Dec 20 Christmas Pageant

Dec 24 Christmas Eve Children's Service @ 4 PM

Dec 24 Candlelight Service @ 9:00 PM  (NOTE New Time)

Jan 9 Whist

Jan 24 Dinner and Scrabble

From the Treasurer!

Act Now for Tax Savings

By carefully planning your charitable gifts and completing them by December 31st, you may find you can even further reduce the amount of tax you will owe next April. You may give:· cash (checks)· or appreciated property (securities - individual stocks, bonds, and/or mutual funds and certain other types of property that have increased in value), or depreciated property (sell it and give all or part as a charitable gift, getting a deduction for the cash contribution and creating a loss you may be able to deduct from other taxable income). There are also possibilities in retained income gifts, gifts through wills or living trusts, gifts of retirement plan assets, gifts of life insurance.

If you are interested, please call the church office, and we will connect you with a church officer who can tell you how we handle different processes on the church's end of things.   For specific guidance on how most effectively to give any gift, you should speak with your attorney or professional financial adviser. (First Church as an institution does not render legal or tax advisory service.)

Are You On the Church  “Group” E-Mail?  Would you like to be in this group?  If so, please notify the church office.  We send out notices about upcoming events, deaths, UCC items of interest, etc.  It is the news we send out between newsletters.

Note:  We have email addresses for many who are not on the group list.  These addresses were given to staff members for other purposes.  If you gave your address to a staff member for a specific purpose, but were also thinking you would automatically be included in the group list, this did not happen.

Also, if you are already on the group e-mail list for First Church, but have changed your e-mail address, please notify the church office with the change.

Below is a link to a pdf document for you to download and print if you are one who requested the corn shuffle recipe or chicken casserole recipe that Julie Braschler prepared for the luncheon for Jim Antal.  Enjoy!

Our Communications Guidelines were developed in the fall of 2008 and approved by Cabinet in October 2008.

The Frank W. Thompson Lodge, A.F. & A.M., Bedford, MA and The First Church of Christ, Congregational are sponsoring an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Thursday, November 19, 2009 from 2:00 PM to 700 PM in Upper Fellowship Hall of The First Church of Christ, Congregational, 25 The Great Road, Bedford.

Donors are needed to help maintain blood supplies for area hospital patients. anyone who is 17 or older, who is in good health, who weighs 110 pounds or more, and who has not given blood in the past 56 days may try to donate. Please help the Red Cross maintain a safe and available blood supply for the community. The American Red Cross requires a positive ID before donating. Please drink plenty of fluids before donating. No appointments needed. For frequently asked questions, go to http://www.newenglandblood.org/faq.htm.

The Bedford Chamber of Commerce will be holding their Annual Holiday House Tour on Sunday, December 6th; from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Get in the holiday spirit with a stroll through some of Bedford’s most beautiful homes, festively decorated for the season. Refreshments will be served here at First Church and our Yuletide Treasures Holiday Shop will be open for all to browse and purchase holiday decorations. There will also be storytelling from the Three Apples on the half hour beginning at 2:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $20.00 for adults, $15.00 for seniors and children 8-12, $10.00. They will be $25.00 on the day of the event. Buy 4 tickets get one free. Tickets are available at Great Road Galleries, 363 Great Road, New England Nurseries, 216 Concord Road, the Chamber office, 12 Mudge Way. You may also order online under the events tag on the Chamber website. Proceeds fund the Charles Hume Scholarship, given annually to a Bedford High School senior. For more information, please contact Maureen Sullivan, 781-275-8503.

Congratulations to

• Carol Jamison for keeping everyone in line. Carol has completed the line painting and handicap parking in our parking lot.

• Gordon Peterson on completing the gutter installation on the Manse and garage.

• A giant kudos to Kate Trigg on getting the Wayside sign through a variance request with the Town of Bedford Zoning Board.

Tour of Manse and Meeting House—Suggestions have been made by church members that the Board of Stewardship conduct a tour of the Manse and present information regarding the repairs needed as recommended by a recent home inspection.

Our planned tour will be conducted after services on December 13th and will include the Meeting House. We will try to be as brief as possible and touch upon the most critical items. Jim Maxon, Chair

Do You Know Anything About Telephone Systems?

The Stewardship Board is seeking someone that has a knowledge of telephone installations to help review and determine the best telephone system to purchase for our church. We have collected information from two companies for review. If you have this expertise, please call Jim Maxon

In January of 2009 Bedford TV filmed a program titled Dealing with Death and it brought together local spiritual leaders to discuss various aspects of dealing with the death of a loved one.  It airs periodically on Bedford TV (Comcast channels 8, 9, 10 and Verizon channels 38, 39, 40).  The program recently won second place in the category of religious and spiritual programming in the Alliance for Community Media Northeast Video Awards (ACM-NE Video Awards).  The ACM-NE Video Awards are comprised of entries from all of New England, Connecticut, and New York.  In Addition to Rev. Howard, the show also featured Rev. John Gibbons of First Parish Unitarian-Universalist Church, Rev Frank Fornaro of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and Rabbi Susan Abramson of Temple Shalom Emeth. 

Have you noticed, here at First Church, how it is the 60th anniversary of so many events?  I wonder what was going on in 1949-50 that started some of our most time-honored activities such as the Turkey Dinner, the Fall Fair and the Strawberry Festival.

Does anyone have any photos of our church (or of people at these events) from that era?  Do you have any memories or stories to pass along?  If you have any anecdotes or picture I’d love to record them, possibly for a booklet or as part of the Annual Report.  Please see Julie Braschler, call or e-mail her at julieb24@verizon.net if you have anything to share.

Thank you to those who have already signed up to fix coffee on Sunday mornings. To continue this tradition we need volunteers. The job entails putting a glass of water on the pulpit for our pastor before the service; making coffee, hot water for tea, and ice water for after the service and possibly providing a few cookies, donut holes, or crackers, etc. It also involves serving and cleaning up. The signup sheet is on the bulletin board—there are many spots to be filled! Talk a friend into helping you. We encourage boards, committees, and individuals to sign up to take a turn fixing coffee. Nobody has volunteered to coordinate this so we are doing this on faith! And if nobody signs up, then there will be no coffee hour.

Declaring your membership at First Church can signify more to you than just fostering deeper friendships, offering your children a valuable church school experience, or helping out with church activities. All of these are important but there is more to it. Becoming a member is an agreement between yourself and the congregation that you are willing to help make the decisions which build its strength for the future. That as a full member of this church family (which decides its long-term objectives and governs its own affairs), you care for this tiny branch of that Body of Christ (about which we hear in Sunday School and worship). This Christian congregation of which you are a part has an historic past, a pro-active present and, most importantly, looks toward a future with shared goals which empower all of us as caring Christians. God IS still speaking! Will you be a helper in the listening and the learning?

Our pastor will be very glad to answer your questions and offer orientation to First Church’s life and organization as well as the meaning of church membership.